The last year has changed a lot about the end-user computing landscape. We transitioned from workplaces that were very well-known (mostly on-premises with a few established remote users) to a distributed workforce that inhabits a less well-defined workplace that could be, frankly, anywhere. Organizations that already made extensive use of a desktop virtualization solution and prioritized remote access were well-positioned to weather the storm, but others didn’t fare so well for one reason or another. Even today, some are struggling to keep their legacy environments running.
We routinely hear from customers that their existing environment, for whatever reason, isn’t able to keep up with demand. Sometimes it’s as simple as an aging infrastructure in need of replacement, but other times the situation is more complex. Many say their legacy platform hasn’t kept up with the times with modern features of desktop virtualization technology or that support is hard to come by. Others have to deal with security issues that are amplified by increased demand for remote work. And some are simply having to deal with increased costs without an increase in capabilities.
It’s with these situations in mind that I wanted to take some time to explain the unique capabilities of VMware Anywhere Workspace – and specifically VMware Horizon – that so many customers have come to depend on for a more robust desktop virtualization strategy.
VMware Horizon – The core of any remote work platform
This distributed workforce that’s evolving before our eyes is the focal point of our Anywhere Workspace technologies, which features VMware Workspace ONE, VMware SASE and Carbon Black. When it comes to remotely accessing Windows desktops and applications, though, nothing is more important than VMware Horizon. These technologies, combined with the industry-leading VMware software-defined data center (SDDC) form the broad digital workspace platform that allows you to consolidate around a single strategic vendor that can deliver everything you need.
At the center of any remote work platform is VMware Horizon, which leverages unique integrations with the underlying VMware SDDC to deliver:
- Lightning-fast provisioning through Instant Clones
- Simplified application management with App Volumes
- Advanced user environment management with Dynamic Environment Manager
If you’re struggling with a legacy platform that offers no new meaningful features, lacks security or scalability, or is difficult to support (or to get support for), it’s time to look into VMware Horizon. There are distinct advantages to using Horizon to move beyond legacy and transform your desktop virtualization environment, and I’d like to take a look at each one of them.
Modern Virtual Desktop Solution, Built for Simplicity and Speed
VMware Horizon continues to evolve to meet the demands of today’s desktop virtualization environments and simplifies management so you can reclaim time in your day. We’ve invested engineering and R&D resources into developing common cloud services that are used to extend management capabilities across on-premises and cloud-based deployments from a cloud-based admin interface. This reduces the infrastructure needed on-premises, which reduces costs and saves time.
For example, with exclusive features like VMware Instant Clones, you’ll be able to provision thousands of desktops in the time it takes to get a cup of coffee. That means you can scale up faster, and with less work, than ever before.
Likewise, with Dynamic Environment Manager (DEM) and App Volumes, you’ll be able simplify Day 2 management tasks.
DEM is a tool that adds advanced user environment management capabilities to virtual desktops and applications. It reduces time spent managing profiles and writing scripts, and it integrates with FSLogix to alleviate the problems incumbent with roaming profiles and folder redirection.
App Volumes allows you to package an application one time and deploy it to any platform using VMDK or VHD files. Applications of multiple package types can be delivered, including App Volumes AppStacks, VMware ThinApp, and MSIX. In fact, App Volumes extends the capabilities of MSIX app attach to include user-specific in addition to machine-level assignments.
The Best Digital Workspace Experience
VMware has consistently been named a leader by notable analyst firms like IDC and Gartner, and we’ve become known for delivering the best experience to users regardless of device, connection or application. This is even more critical today when a significant percentage of end users are working remotely, especially when you consider that they’re using networks that they built themselves.
VMware has technology built specifically for these scenarios, including VMware Blast Extreme Adaptive Transport, or BEAT. BEAT adapts to changing network conditions to deliver the best possible user experience regardless of where the user is working–in the office, on the road or in a corner of their attic as far away from the WiFi router as possible. Combined with NVIDIA vGPU support, optimizations for Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other real-time collaboration tools, and a huge list of supported peripherals and endpoints, VMware Horizon has the user experience capabilities to meet the needs of all your use cases.
Hybrid Delivery, Management and Scale
Many companies are finding themselves with workloads spread around different data centers (and sometimes even multiple public clouds!). Managing these disparate environments can be a headache, duplicating efforts for each location and reducing both management efficiency and user productivity.
VMware Horizon is the modern platform built to offer a seamless experience regardless of whether the desktop and application workloads are–on-premises or in the cloud. Our dedication to hybrid management has resulted in the cloud-native Horizon Control Plane, which houses brokering, provisioning, monitoring, helpdesk, app management and more so that you only have one place to go to manage all your environments. What’s more, this platform is reliable and strategically placed in locations around the world to enable a true global desktop virtualization management platform.
Intrinsic, End-to-End Security
Our SDDC components (vSphere, vSAN, NSX, etc.) are the trusted, mission-critical backbone of many organizations. Because of that, security isn’t just important to us–it’s intrinsic to the entire platform from the data center to the endpoint. With this approach, you can be assured of:
- No endpoint data loss
- Secure enablement of mobile device/BYO devices
- Complete access control in the datacenter
- Centralized patching against vulnerabilities
- Trusted images every time
- Secure East-West traffic with NSX
Our track record is exceptional, and it’s just one more reason VMware is a cut above the rest.
Flexible Licensing
Finally, VMware has adopted a subscription licensing model that delivers exceptional value while remaining flexible enough to meet your demands. Horizon subscription licensing gives you access to the Horizon Control Plane so that you can take advantage of the cost-saving management and user experience features that are inherent to the platform, including the ability to deploy virtual desktops and applications in whichever location you choose–on-premises or in the cloud…or both!
For more information about Horizon subscription licensing, check out the following blogs:
- New Horizon SaaS Offerings Reduce Cost with Flexible Deployment and Management
- Horizon Apps Standard Subscription: The lowest-cost path to Windows Virtual Desktop + VMware Horizon
Enhance Your Desktop Virtualization Strategy with VMware Horizon
When you add VMware Horizon to the trusted SDDC platform that VMware is known for, you unlock many unique benefits, from simplified management and an excellent user experience to intrinsic security and flexible licensing. With so much to gain, you can see why we say switching to VMware Horizon isn’t a migration – it’s a transformation.
Contact VMware today to see why three of the top five global banks have made the switch to VMware Horizon. If you’re ready to make the switch, or just want to learn more, head over to our “Top Reasons to Leave Your Legacy Environment Behind” page with lots of additional resources, like how Sentara Health saved millions of dollars by switching to VMware to distribute EPIC to their end users.
